Oh my gosh is this good! Think warm cheesy goodness. We love macaroni and cheese and this might very well be my favorite macaroni and cheese recipe ever. First, it is so easy to put together in the crock-pot. Second, you use real cheese, not the processed stuff. Third, it is amazing...or at least we think so. Try it and see:)

This fits nicely in my smaller crock-pot and it is plenty for our family of 5. If I make this for a party or pot-luck, I will double and put in my large crock-pot.

My son's 4th birthday is upon us so I thought I better go ahead and post last year's birthday cake. Better late than never, right? He wanted a safari, dinosaur, train birthday party. I baked chocolate cake and my husband assembled and decorated the train with a simple buttercream frosting. We put some clean toy dinosaurs and a zebra on top of one of the train cars to coordinate with the party theme.

I realized tonight that I don't have plain old buttercream frosting on the site. It's really simple and will hold up for basic decorating. It's not stiff enough for something like roses, but will work fine for most kids birthday party cakes. (I made the sweet peas and pea pod in this photo with gum paste.) You can make it a little healthier by substituting the shortening with butter, but it won't hold up as well for decorating.

Kit includes an easy-to-assemble, indestructible full sized Pro-Hoop that’s designed to be a bit thicker, heavier, and a lot sturdier than typical hoops you may have seen. Built for success, this bigger diameter surprisingly makes tricks easier to accomplish and allows kids to hoop for longer periods of time. It also includes two Parents’ Choice Foundation Award-winning DVDs featuring instructional music videos that teach tricks, lead dynamic routines and entertain with nutrition and other tips. The kit is packed with 12 instructional games. Also included is a HOOPERSIZE CD with seven heart-pumping tunes.

Pieces easily fit together to form the hoop.

HOOPERSIZE is recommended for ages 6 and up, but the little ones will want to play with it too. They can play and have fun, but might not be able to follow along with Miss Kellee in the videos.

Our 6 year old struggled the first couple of times he tried to HOOPERSIZE so we put it away and tried again another day. The third time he tried it, he was able to do it and had a really fun time. Older children should be able to pick it up even faster. You can see how excited he gets in the video when he realizes that he can HOOPERSIZE.

My favorite part of the HOOPERSIZE fitness kit is the DVDs. Miss Kellee does an outstanding job. She is a great teacher and motivator. She was nicknamed “the Pied Piper with a Boom Box” by the LA Times. If you watch the DVDs, you will want to get up and move. I tried it, following Miss Kellee's instructions and it was a really fun way to get some exercise.

HOOPERSIZING is a fabulous way forthe whole family to get some exercise while having fun. I am excited to have the HOOPERSIZE fitness kit for the cold winter months when the kids will be indoors more and will need an outlet for their excess energy.

I love frozen raspberries so when I saw raspberries on sale this week at the store, I decided to stock up and freeze extras. They are $1 per container at Meijer and 99 cents per container at Schnuck's. Of course, anytime you can get fresh picked berries, they will freeze wonderfully too. Frozen berries are delicious and they work well in recipes too.

Gently wash your raspberries and try to shake or blot off any excess water.

Place the berries in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.

Put in the freezer until berries are frozen. It doesn't take very long. You can easily freeze several pans in a day.

Transfer frozen berries to zipper seal freezer bags, then return them to the freezer.

Disclosure: I received products for review, however, all opinions are honest and are my own.

Super Duper Publications has a huge selection of engaging and fun learning toys and activities for kids. I am always impressed with both the quality and selection available at Super Duper Publications. Just in time for the new school year, you can use coupon code DJPC3MGP to receive 30% off your purchase. This code is good through Sept. 30th. Super Duper Publications even offers free shipping to the USA and Canada on purchases of $20 or more.

We received three games from Super Duper Publications for review.

Grammar Gumballs® Board Game

Ask & Answer® "Wh" Bingo

Auditory Memory for Short Stories Fun deck

The boys and I had so much fun playing Grammar Gumballs. We had to put it away so that they could go to bed and they asked if they could play the next day. They were having fun while learning grammar skills!

I read the questions to the boys for each card they drew. They answered the questions, then spun the spinner to see how many gumballs they received. We went through the irregular plurals cards and at the end of the game the boys excitedly counted their gumballs to see who won. They actually tied and were both pleased with themselves.

The boys have really gotten into playing bingo this summer so I knew they would love Ask & Answer® "Wh" Bingo. This bingo game helps teach how to ask and answer "Wh" questions. Bingo is a wonderful teaching tool. I created a banking bingo game when I was teaching high school Family and Consumer Science (Home Economics) and my students loved it. Bingo is a great way to make learning fun.

This is a very nice bingo set with cards for each type of "Wh" question that coordinate with color coded bingo cards. There is even a nice cup and cup holder for the bingo chips.

We took our new Ask and Answer "Wh" Bingo with us on the road. I sat in the back and played with my 6 year old. It worked well as a travel game because of the nice organization tray (pictured above).

Disclosure: I received a complimentary membership to Tryout. All opinions are honest and are my own.

One of my life's dreams has always been to model. When I was in middle school I made the 4-H modeling squad which was a big deal for me. Not everyone made the squad and I was awkward, tall, thin and pretty introverted. I liked being on the modeling squad. I learned a lot and it was a good experience for me. It certainly helped boost my confidence. I joined a modeling agency in college, but then after graduation sort of forgot about my dream and moved on with "real life"- teaching, getting married, and becoming a Mom. I have a new dream job as a work at home Mom, but I still wonder if someday I might end up in some form of modeling.

I love my boys and want to provide them with every opportunity that I can. I signed up for Tryout because I thought it might help me learn more about opportunities available for my boys. My husband and I have talked about trying to get them into baby and child modeling for a long time. We think they have real potential, but haven't known where to start.

I am still learning about Tryout and what it has to offer, but so far I would say it is an online place to learn about and develop and grow your child's talents.

Signing up was really easy. Once you sign up, you can subscribe to channels. These channels periodically post opportunities, contests, and advice. There are some really cool opportunities in many different areas of interest including, voice over talent, sports, acting, and modeling. My boys are still on the young side for most opportunities, but the potential is there as they grow and develop their individual talents.

Welcome to Home Ec @ Home

Hi, I'm Faith, a former Family and Consumer Science (Home Economics) Teacher turned work at home Mom, bringing you family friendly, homemade recipes and homemaking tips to simplify your life. Join me on my homemaking and mothering journey.